Reactions vary to CFL's discipline of Kent Austin

WINNIPEG — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are mad, the officials are happy, the players’ association is peeved, and the commissioner believes he made the right call.

Discipline rulings never make everyone happy, and that was the case again Wednesday when CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge handed down his decision on Tiger-Cats head coach-GM Kent Austin.

Orridge banished Austin to the spotter’s booth for Saturday’s home game against the Calgary Stampeders and fined him $10,000 for slapping a hand of head linesman Tom Cesari in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s loss to the host Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Austin was furious because Tiger-Cats centre Mike Filer was flagged for illegal procedure on third-and-one after he moved the ball forward a couple of inches before snapping the ball.

Austin swung his right arm in frustration at Cesari, who was on the Hamilton sideline. Austin’s hand collided with Cesari’s hand, and it resulted in a 10-yard objectionable-conduct penalty.

Then came Wednesday’s ruling, which had the league talking.

“It’s pretty unprecedented that not only is a coach removed from the field of play, but a $10,000 fine is really significant and it’s pretty unprecedented,” Orridge told Postmedia on Wednesday.

The Tiger-Cats issued a brief and somewhat-whiny response to the ruling, calling it “unprecedented” and “harsh” while saying they accepted the decision.

The reason why it’s unprecedented is because the commissioner couldn’t find another instance of a coach striking an official. Austin should be thanking his lucky stars he’s not watching Saturday’s game from the Tim Hortons Field parking lot.

Orridge didn’t come right out and say it, but it sounds like the reason why Austin still gets to attend Saturday’s contest at all is because all parties involved claimed the contact was unintentional.

“Coach Austin told me that it was unintentional, it was accidental, and I did not find any evidence to the contrary,” Orridge said. “And the official also, when we interviewed the official, did not indicate that he recognized any intent.”

Brian Chrupalo, who serves as the Canadian Professional Football Officials’ Association president, agrees with that and is happy with the punishment.

“This is a good step for the CFL to recognize that the officials do take some abuse, but at the same time physical abuse is different,” Chrupalo said. “We can all tolerate somebody yelling at us, and sometimes it’s just a misunderstanding of what the rules are, but in this case Mr. Orridge ruled on a decision that was important.

“It’s good for us going forward, for other officials to understand that we’re supported by the league and for other members of the CFL to know what’s acceptable and what isn’t.”

Some believe Austin being in the spotter’s booth will be no different than him being on the sideline, but Chrupalo disagrees.

“It’s a substantial difference,” he said. “Being on the sideline is critical for the coaching staff to be able to interact with their members. I know they have headsets and they can communicate, but there’s an element that’ll be missing when Coach Austin isn’t standing down beside his team.”

The CFL Players’ Association, meanwhile, weighed in with a statement Wednesday saying it was disappointed in Orridge’s decision.

“We feel that there is a clear and obvious double standard when it comes to disciplinary action handed out to our members in comparison to team executives and coaches, and are disappointed in the actions taken by commissioner Orridge,” CFLPA executive director Brian Ramsay wrote.

That is no doubt in reference to the one-game suspension Montreal Alouettes receiver Duron Carter got earlier this year for running over Ottawa Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell after making a touchdown catch June 30.

Since there had been no previous documentation of a CFL coach striking an official, Orridge is going to use this incident to create a policy for official abuse. The CPFOA will help draft the document.

As for the call that made Austin so mad, the league still hasn’t told Postmedia if it was the right one.

It doesn’t matter, though. It’s 2016. You don’t hit anybody for any reason.

And for those who think Austin didn’t get a stiff-enough sentence for his childish behaviour, just remember that officials don’t forget.

In other words, good luck to the Tabbies getting the benefit of the doubt on a call the rest of the season.

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